In less than a month the town will be electing 16 councillors for Hastings Borough Council (HBC) as local elections take place in England for the second year running. Last year Labour’s once solid majority was shaken by Tory gains and the Greens winning their first seat. So how will the council look after 5 May? PhD researcher James Prentice of Capture Politics outlines the prevailing political situation and which are the seats most likely to change hands.
HOT has asked the four local parties for a brief rundown of their policies and reasons why you should vote for them. Here is the response on behalf of the Liberal Democrats from Hastings and Rye chair Bob Lloyd.
Liberal Democrat hopes of taking control at County Hall at the head of a coalition of anti Tory parties did not materialise, though the Tories failed to benefit from the surge their party experienced elsewhere, losing two seats. Meanwhile the Greens prospered, winning four seats, while Labour gained two seats beyond the Hastings border. Nick Terdre reports.
The thrust of the Liberal Democrats’ local election campaign is aimed at County Hall, where they see cooperation between the opposition parties as the key to overturning the Conservative majority. The Rother Alliance provides a successful example of the strategy in action, they say. Nick Terdre reports. Photos supplied by the Lib Dems.
So says Martin Griffiths, the Liberal Democrat candidate for both Ashdown ward and the Ashdown & Conquest division in the forthcoming elections, as he presents his take on the cluster of four developments at the top of Harrow Lane which has caught local attention.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for the council to set up an inclusive working party to guide the borough’s economic and social recovery from the coronavirus, and have launched a petition to advance its cause. Nick Terdre reports.
As the general election campaign enters its final phase, Tory candidate Sally-Ann Hart has found herself in hot water over her apparent support for a suggestion that disabled people should be paid less than the minimum wage. Meanwhile Labour’s Peter Chowney has had party leader Jeremy Corbyn and actor Steve Coogan in town supporting his campaign. The Lib Dems blame government policies for the high rate of small business failures in the last three years. Nick Terdre reports.
Labour’s parliamentary candidate Peter Chowney has questioned Grant Shapps’ pledge to prioritise the introduction of a fast train service between Hastings and London if the Tories are re-elected. Meanwhile the Lib Dems has revealed figures showing increasing numbers of EU nationals deserting the NHS since the Brexit vote. Nick Terdre reports.
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